Antiskidding or emergency brake for automobiles.



APPLIGATION FILED AUG.21, 1913.

Patented July 7, 19M.

TED STATES PATENT ornio JEREMIAH C. LAUTENBACHEB AND ALBERT GEAR Y, 0FSCHUYLKILL HAVEN,

i IPENNSYLVANIA. 0

ANTISKIDDING 0R EMERGENCY BRAKE FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JEREMIAH C. LAU- TENBACHER and ALBERT GEARY,citizens of the United States, "residing at Schuylkill Haven, in thecounty of Schuylkill, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Antiskidding pr Emergency Brakes forAutomobiles, of which the following is a description, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawing and to the figures of reference markedthereon.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in anti-skiddingdevices or emergency brakes for automobiles, and more particularly todevices of this character which may be manually controlled by a footlever whenever desired.

An object of the invention is to provide an anti-skidding device oremergency brake which may be forced into contact with the road surfacepositively by a foot leverat will.

A further object of the invention is to provide devices of the abovecharacter wherein the brake shoe is automatically raised from contactwith the road surface when released from the foot of the operator. Astill further object of the inventionis to provide an anti-skiddingdevice with a brake shoe which may be readily removed for thesubstitution of another brake shoe having a different tread whendesired.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in parthereinafter be more fully disclosed.

In the drawings, which show b 'way of illustration one embodiment of t einven tion: Figure 1 is a side elevation of an anti-skidding deviceembodying my im-;

provements showing the relation of the same to supporting saidanti-skidding device. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through theanti-skidding device on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is abottom plan view showing a different form of brake shoe. Fig.4 is a bottom lan view showing another form of brake sioe. Fig. 5 is aperspective view showing a still different form of shoe which may beused in connection with my improved anti-skidding device.

The invention consists generally in providing a supporting frame orcasing which is rigidly attached to the body portion of the automobileand the manner of the automobile and projects downwardly therefrom.There may be a supporting frame or casing at each side of the automob1leand within each frame or casing is a reciprocating supporting bar whichcarries the brake shoe. This bar is raised by a spring so as to normallyhold the brake shoe raised from contact with the road surface. The rodis'depressed to "bring the brake shoe into operation by means of asegment rack which is operated: through a link connection with a footlever.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, our improved anti-skiddingdevice or emergency brake consists of a supporting frame or casing 1which is rigidly attached to the body 2 of the automobile by suitablebolts 3. This frame or casing 1 is formed in two sections, that is amain section 4 and an auxiliary supporting section 5. These two sectionsare secured together by bolts 6 which pass through flanges formed on therespective sections. The main section t is again divided into two partsto facilitate the assembling of the members and to afford a properhousing for the springs used in connection with the anti-skidding deviceto be hereinafter more fully described. The lower part of the maincasing is formed so as to seat Within the upper part, as at 7, and thetwo parts are secured together by screws 8. This main casing is bored soas to form a chamber 9. through the main easing into the auxiliarycasing, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. Said main casing is formed with anopening 11 leading from the chamber 9. This opening is smaller than thecross sectional area of the chamber and is preferably formed with fiatfaces which may be of any desired number, and the rod 10 is providedwith similar faces which are so proportioned as to prevent the rod fromturning in the casing.

The rod 10 is provided with a head 12 at its lower end which may besecured thereon in any suitable way. This head is formed with forwardlyand rearwardly projectin portions, each of which is formed with a sot.to conform to the supporting head 12 and is clamped thereto by bolts 14which pass through the slots in the supporting head. The ends of thebrake shoes are also preferably slotted to facilitate the readyinsertion of the bolts. The brake shoe 13, as

Patented July '7, 1914.

Application filed August 21, 1913. Serial No. 785,972.

The brake shoe 13 is made figure is also formed with transverse grooves.15 which form PIOJGCllIlg ribs 16 extending transversely of the shoe.

Located within thecha'mber 9 1s a spring 17 which rests on the shoulderformed at the lower end of the chamber and which bears against a collar18 fixedly attached to the rod 10. This spring normally holds thebrakeshoe raised from operative engagement with the surface of the road. l/Vehave also shown, Fig. 2 of the drawing, a second spring 19, whichengages the upper face of the collar 18 and rests against the upper wallof the chamber 9. The tension of the spring 19 is considerably less thanthe tension of the spring 17, so that the spring 17 will overcome theforce of the spring 19 and raise the brake shoe, as above noted. Thisspring 19 is in the sense a cushion spring and cushions the rebound ofthe brake shoe and the parts moving therewith when released by the footof the op erator.

The brake shoe is depressed in contact with the road surface by a footlever 20. This foot lever is pivoted at 21 to a suitable supportingbracket and extends to a point where it may be readily accessible foroperation. The lower end of the foot lever is pivoted at 22 to a link 23which is in turn I pivoted at 24c to an arm 25 rigidly carried bya shaft26 mounted in a bracket 27 which is secured to the main casing of theantiskidding device by suitable screws 28. The 1 upper end of the rod 10is formed with a rack 29, the teeth of which referably face slightlyupward. The shaft 26 carries a. segment rack30 provided with teeth-31which engage the, teeth 29 of the rack on the rod 10. When the segment30 is moved in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 2, the rod 10will be moved downward in the casing compressing the spring 17 and thisdownward movement of the rod 10 brings the brake shoe or antiskiddingshoe into contact with the surface of the road.

As above noted, there may bean antiskidding device at each side of theautomo- E preferably located inside of the wheels.

When the foot lever is released, said brake I and other brake shoes may,therefore, be

readily substituted therefor. In Fig. 3 of the drawing, we have shown abrake shoe 33 having a different form of tread. This brake shoe isprovided with longitudinally extending grooves 34 which formlongitudinally extending ribs 35. In Fig. 4 of the drawing, we show abrake shoe 36 wherein the lower surface thereof is dividedlongitudinally between the side faces thereof and each side face isformed with grooves 37 which extend in different directions or at anangle to each other, thus forming ribs which are substantially V-shapedwith the vertex of the V at the center of the shoe and projecting in aforward direction.

Fig. 5 of the drawing shows a brake shoe 39 which is recessed so as toreceive the shank 40 of a projecting stud 41. This brake shoe isespecially useful to prevent skidding when traveling on ice or looseroadsurfaces as the stud 41 will penetrate deeply into the surface.

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction and thearrangement of parts may be made without'departing from the spirit ofthe invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention what we claim as new is 1. Ananti-skidding or emergency brake for automobiles including incombination a supporting casing, a rod adapted to reciprocate verticallyin said casing, a brake shoe fixed to said rod, said casing having meansfor holding said rod from rotating in the casing, a spring located insaid casing and normally holding said rod raised, a swing-- Y J ingmember extending into said casing and directly connected with said rodfor reciprocating the same, and means for operating said swingingInemberto positively force the brake shoe into contact with the roadsur-' face.

2. Ananti-skidding or emergency brake for automobiles including incombination, a supporting frame, a rod adapted to reciprocate verticallyin said supporting frame, a brake shoe fixed to said rod, a sprin fornormally holding said rod raised, sai rod having a rack formed thereon,a segmental rack adapted to engage the rack on the rod carrying thebrake shoe, a foot lever, and means for positively connecting said footlever to the segmental rack.

8. An anti-skidding or emergency brake William for automobiles,including in combination, spring for cushioning the upward movement asupporting frame, a rod adapted to reof the brake shoe. ciprocatevertically in said supporting In testimony whereof, we afix oursignaframe, fa brake 1slhoia1 fired tO dSaiOd(.1 rod, da tures in thepresence of two witnesses. 5 s r1n or norma 0 1n sai r raise s id odhaving a rack fo rmed thereon, a JEREMIAH LAUTENBAGHER' segmental rackadapted to engage the rack ALBERT GEARY on the rod carrying the brakeshoe, a foot Witnesses: lever, means for positively connecting saidMILTON MECK,

10 foot lever to the segmental rack, and a G. A. MOYER.

